Skip to main content

The Secular Age Is Still Looking for an Altar

France spent decades teaching religion to leave through the front door. It has now found young adults knocking at the side door.

More than 13,000 adults were baptised in the Catholic Church in France at Easter 2026. The official figure—13,234—is 28 percent higher than in 2025 and more than triple the number recorded in 2016.

This does not mean secular France has suddenly become a monastery. One Easter is not a census, and a baptismal queue is not proof that every pew will remain occupied.

Still, the increase deserves more than a shrug.

Inherited religion is weakening. Chosen religion may be stirring.

That distinction matters. A person baptised as an adult has usually crossed questions, suspicion and inconvenience to reach the font. The French bishops’ survey found that 40 percent of catechumens began seeking baptism after an ordeal triggered a search for meaning.

Pain remains an excellent theologian. It asks questions comfort postpones.

Modern society has liberated people from many religious obligations. It has not liberated them from grief, guilt, death, loneliness or the suspicion that life should mean more than efficient consumption.

The market can sell distraction by subscription. An algorithm can supply followers. Neither can promise communion.

People do not approach faith only because they are miserable. Some are drawn by beauty, truth, discipline, community or an encounter they can explain only with the name of God. Christianity offers something the age cannot manufacture: not merely a technique for coping, but a claim about who we are, why suffering matters and whether death is the final editor.

The Church should not congratulate itself too quickly. Converts need formation, honest answers, safe communities and lives that make the Gospel believable. A Church that celebrates the baptism but neglects the person has counted an entrance and misplaced a soul.

Yet the trend unsettles an old assumption: that technological progress would eventually make transcendence obsolete.

Apparently, the human heart did not receive the memo.

The secular age has not destroyed the altar.

It has simply made approaching it a choice.

Abraham Ikongshul Ashindortiang

Sources:

French Bishops’ Conference: 2026 adult baptism survey

French Bishops’ Conference: Origins of baptism requests

Vatican News: France moves from inherited to chosen Christianity

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Smart Choices: The Three Muskeeters Of Life

There's a saying that goes, "You can't go wrong with a good friend or neighbor, but an intelligent wife is better than either." It's one of those nuggets of wisdom that carries a lot of weight, hinting at the profound impact of an intelligent partner in life. Let’s break it down, shall we? Think about your best friend for a moment. They’re there when you need a laugh, a shoulder to cry on, or someone to share those “remember when” stories. Friends are the spice of life, bringing joy and support in equal measure. Neighbors, on the other hand, can be lifesavers in their own right. Whether it's lending a cup of sugar, keeping an eye on your house when you're away, or just being a friendly face across the fence, good neighbors make everyday living easier and more pleasant. Now, imagine having an intelligent wife. She’s not just a partner in the romantic sense; she's a co-conspirator in steering life’s twists and turns. Intelligence in a...
1 comment
Click here to read more »

From Defection to Disgrace: The Political Orphans of APC Primaries

  Power has a peculiar smell in Nigerian politics. It draws men the way lanterns summon moths into flame. Every election cycle, a procession begins: senators, governors, lawmakers, and political drifters abandoning the opposition for the ruling party with the swagger of pilgrims who believe they have finally reached salvation. They cross carpets, wave brooms, chant new slogans, and kneel before cameras like repentant sinners entering a cathedral of power. Then the primaries arrive. And suddenly the cathedral becomes a slaughterhouse. The recent humiliation of defectors who fled to the APC expecting automatic tickets deserves to be studied in political science classrooms as a masterclass in ruthless power management. The ruling party welcomed many of them with smiles sharp enough to cut rope, allowed them to dance at rallies, pose for photographs, insult their former parties, and declare loyalty with theatrical enthusiasm. Then, when the real business began, the party machinery q...
Post a Comment
Click here to read more »

7 Happy Things You Won't See on the Internet

The internet is full of doom and gloom these days. But don't worry, there are still plenty of happy things happening in the world that you won't see online. Here are some examples: 1. A baby panda sneezing and making its mom jump.   (Image: Photo of a panda cub and its mother. The cub has a cute expression on its face as it sneezes, while the mother looks startled and alarmed.)   Video   2. A group of friends having a picnic in the park without checking their phones. 3. A couple getting married in a small ceremony with only their closest family and friends.  4. A dog chasing its own tail and having the time of its life.  5. A kid making a snowman  and giving it a carrot nose.  6. A grandma in the kitchen with her grandchildren and telling them stories.  7. A cat sleeping peacefully.   These are some of the happy things that you won't see on the internet, but they are happening every day in real life. So don't let the negativity get you down, ...
Post a Comment
Click here to read more »